For years, I have used templates to improve my productivity. I create a template for any task I find myself doing repeatedly. So instead of reinventing the wheel every time, I do it once, save it as a template, and then reuse it.

For example, before speaking engagements, I always have a conference call with the event sponsor. Initially, I found myself asking the same questions. Sometimes, I would forget to ask something important, so I decided to create a reusable template in Evernote. (You can see it here.)

I have had over twenty bosses in my career. One was great, most were average, and more than a few were downright terrible. Surprisingly, I learned the most from the bad ones.

The problem is that the bad bosses make you so miserable, sometimes you fail to appreciate how much you are learning. While I wouldn’t want to work for those bosses again, I wouldn’t trade what they taught me—even if it was unintentional.

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Podcast Moved to Friday This Week

Because of the Get Noticed! Theme™ launch, I decided to post this week’s podcast on Friday rather than Wednesday. The topic is “15 Amazing Lessons I Learned from Bad Bosses.” I hope you can join me then.

Remember when you used to actually enjoy blogging, back before it became something you dreaded? Back then, sharing your message was all that mattered, and you couldn’t wait to get the word out, hoping to impact others with your story. But then something got in the way.

Recently, my wife bought me a Labradoodle puppy. I had wanted one ever since my daughter got hers. My grandson named him “Charlie Brown,” since his fur was a beautiful chocolate brown color.

Sitting on the Front Porch with My New Labradoodle, Charlie

Though he was born in January, we didn’t get to meet Charlie until last week. He spent the first eleven weeks at the breeder with his mother and siblings. Then he went straight to a trainer for “Companion Training.” (Yes, we believe in outsourcing!)

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About Me

I am the author of the New York Times bestseller, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. It is also a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon bestseller. I am also the former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. I now write, speak, and coach full-time. I am married and have five daughters. I live near Nashville, TN.

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If you’re like most of my readers, you’re committed to winning at work and succeeding in life. But the truth is, you struggle with finding enough time to do it all. That’s exactly why I wrote my new ebook, Shave 10 Hours Off Your Workweek: 4 Proven Strategies for Creating More Margin for the Things That Matter Most.

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